Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge attachable to and detachable from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a method for manufacturing the cartridge.
Description of the Related Art
The present invention relates to a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge”) attachable to and detachable from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a method for reproducing the cartridge. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “image forming apparatus”) forms an image on a recording material (recording medium) using an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a printer (a laser beam printer, a light emitting diode (LED) printer, etc.), a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a word processor, and a multifunction peripheral (a multifunction printer).
Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a system for integrally unitizing an image bearing member (electrophotographic photoconductor) and a process unit, acting on the image bearing member, into a cartridge and detachably attaching the cartridge to a main body of an image forming apparatus has been adopted.
In such a cartridge, an image is formed on a recording medium using toner (developer). Thus, the toner is being consumed as the images are being formed. When the toner stored in the cartridge has been consumed and an image of a quality that can satisfy a user cannot be formed, a commercial value of the cartridge is lost.
A simple cartridge reproduction method capable of commercializing again a cartridge, commercial value of which has been lost because toner has been consumed, has been desired, and has been devised (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-249603).
Further, in the cartridge, there is a gap between a frame that stores toner (developer) and the electrophotographic photoconductor. Thus, a sheet member is attached to the frame to prevent the toner from leaking outward. In the cartridge, commercial value of which has been lost, the sheet member may swell. Thus, there may be a gap between the electrophotographic photoconductor and the sheet member, and the toner cannot be sealed.
It has been discussed a technique for stripping the sheet member from the frame and attaching a new sheet member thereto. At this time, if the sheet member is joined to a part of a resin member formed in the frame, the resin member may also be stripped when the sheet member is stripped. In this case, it is necessary to fill a space where the resin member has been formed and to form a fixing surface (seating surface) for fixing the new sheet member (see Japanese Patent Application laid-Open No. 2013-101267).